Touch-regulator for grand-piano actions



F. L, GEORGE.

TOUCH REGULATOR FOR GRAND PIANO ACTIONS.

Patented Sept. 21

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, I919- I N VEN TOR.

FRANK L GEORGE ,1 Troklvm's.

QQ .55 n w E v FRANK L. GEORGE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TOUGH-REGULATOR GRAND-PIANO ACTIONS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, FRANK l 'JYEORGF a citizen of the United States, resi r'angeles, in the county of Les nngeles and State of Qalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Touch-Regulators for Grand-Piano Actions, of which the following is a specification.

lily invention relates to a touch regulator for grand pianos and consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

9:. very pronounced defect in the grand action of. today is the fact that when the action is set up, adjusted and regulated, there is no way of changing the wcigit of the action or touch. Any experienced retail salesman will readily testify to the fact that thousands upon thousands of sales have been lost because the touch was too heavy or the touch was too light and because there was no way of remedying this objection. The last resort of many salesmen is to tell the customer that the shop man or tuner can easily and quickly change the touch to any desired weight, when he knows down deep in his heart that this is a misrepresentation of facts. If he lands the customer he lands a bunch of future trouble.

My object is to overcome these and other objections to the old construction.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an action for grand pianos having an automatic touch regulator in accordance with the principles of my invention, the supporting parts being shown in cross section.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

The key-frame 1 supports the key balance rail 2 and the key 3 rests upon the key balance rail 2 near its center, and the rear end of the key normally rests upon the felt 41 upon the key-frame 1. The capstan screw 5 is adjustably screw-seated in the key 3.

The support rail 6 is rigidly mounted upon the act-ion bracket 7. The support flange 8 is secured to-the rear face of the support rail 6 by a screw 9 and extends upwardly above the support rail. The wippen 10 is connected at its rear end to the flange 8 by a pin 11 and has a felt 12 upon its lower side resting upon the capstan screw 5. The regulating rail 13 is rigidly mounted in the action bracket 7.

The individual regulating rod 1 1 is mount- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 21, 1220.

Serial rm. 322,730.

ed in the bearing 15 extending upwardly and backwardly from the action bracket 7 and this rod is made of any suitable hard wood preferably maple and the rod is made straight and round like a dowel and driven firmly into a brass tube 16, the brass tube being used to give firmness and rigidity to the construction. Small screws 17 are inserted through the tubing 16 into the wood at suitable intervals. Small hooks 18 are inserted through the tubing 16 into the rod 141 at suitable intervals.

The spring 19 is formed of hard wire and has a double turn coil 20 seated upon a hook 18 and one end 21 of the spring extends from the coil 20 into a saw cut notch 22 through the tubing 16 into the rod 1 1, and an in dividual regulating screw 23 is screw-seated through the body of the tubing 16 and rod 1 1 against the end 21 of the sprin The front and long end 24: of the spring 19 rests in a slot in the dowel 25 fixed in the wippen 10 in vertical alinement with the capstan screw 5.

The old method of retaining the desired weight or touch is by inserting key leads into the key thereby making such weight permanent and practically unchangeable and resulting in a certain degree of inaccuracy. With my construction each key may be accurately adjusted simply by manipulating the regulating screw 23 and the key leads may be almost, if not wholly, dispensed with.

It is to be understood that there are several action brackets 7 supporting the support rail 6, and that the rod 14 extends through all the brackets.

At one end of the rod let an attaching 7 plate 26 is brazed or soldered to the tubing 16 and a regulating arm 27 extends rigidly from the plate 26. A crank 28 extends from the lower end of the arm 27 through a bearing 29 having a vertical slot 30 for the crank. A head 31 is formed rigid with the bearing 29.

The collective touch regulating rod 32 extends through a bracket 33 secured to the regulating rail 13 and through a bracket 31 secured to the rear face of the support rail 6 and has a screw-threaded portion 35 screw-seated through the head 31. The regulating rod 32 has an operating handle 36 upon its forward end, a shoulder 37 engaging the bracket 33, and a lock nut 38 upon its rear end engaging the bracket 34,

so as to hold the regulating rod 32 from V 10, thereby increasing the weight upon the nipulating the handle will move 40 the rod adjacent departing from the spirit of my invention as rear end of the key ,3 and increasing the weight oi the action or touch, and of course whenthe handle 36 is operated reversely the touch is lightened. lhis adjustment will provide a variation of key weight ranging from two ounces to five ounces.

The screw 23 provides a means of adjustment for each individual key so as to produce a uniformity of touch and then the entire touch is made lighter or heavier by manipulating the handle 36,

and claimed in companion applications, Serial Numbers 322731 and 322732.

Thus I have produced a touch regulator for grand pianos comprising an individual regulating rod rotatably mounted through the action bracket, an arm extending at right angles from the individual regulating rod,- a collective regulating rod rotatably mounted and having a screw-threaded portion and a handle, a head screw-seated upon the screw-threaded portion, a connection'between the head and the arm whereby mathe head back and forth torotate the individualregulating rod, hooks extending from the individual regulating rod, there being slots n the hooks, springs having coils mounted upon the hooks and having ends extending into the slots and ends bearing upon the wippens, and individual regulating screws screw-seated through the 1ndividual regulating rod to engage the ends of the springs in the slots.

'Various changes may be made without claimed.

l he details of theaction bracket and the details of the action are shown, described bearing upon the regulating regulating rod adjacent to the hooks,

springs having coils mounted upon the hooks and having one end bearing upon the wippens and having theother end bearing upon the regulating rod within the slots, and lndlvldual regulatmg screws screw seated through the rod in position to engage the ends of the springs within the slots.

2; A touch regulator for grand piano actions comprising in combination with an action mechanism embodying :wippens, a.

collective regulating rod rotatably mounted, means for adjustably rocking the'regulati'ng rod, hooks fixed to the rod there being one for a each wippen, springs having coils mounted upon the hooks and having one end bearing upon the wippens a 1d the otherend foradjustlng the pressure of the ends of the springs which bear upon the regulating rod. 7 a c r V 3. A touch regulator for grand. piano actions comprising a collective regulating rod having a pluralityiof slots, hooks disposed outwardly from the rod respectively adjacent to the slots, springs having coils respectively mounted upon the hooks, one end of the springs bearing operatively upon the piano action, and the other end of, the spring bearing upon the regulating rod within the slots, and screws throughthe rod and into the slots for raising and lowering the ends of the springs carried within the slots.-

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK L.

inserted rod, and means 

